Valentine's Day Tradition
by Misha
Summary: He couldn't help but wish that things were the same, but they weren't, and this year Valentine's Day was different.


Valentine's Day Traditions   
By Misha 

Disclaimer- These characters are the property of NBC, Aaron Sorkin, or whoever. I'm not writing this for profit in any way, shape, or form, but because I have a lot of spare time on my hands. 

Author's Notes- This was written before Valentine's Day, but I never got around to posting it 'til now. Anyway, this is yet another angsty, not quite Josh/Donna piece. I **am** planning on writing a nice, happy, fluffy V-Day fic for the State of the Union February Challenge, but first I wanted to get this one out of the way. This one's pretty angsty. As I mentioned, it's kind of Josh/Donna, but there's also Josh/Amy and a little bit of Cliff/Donna. Well, that's all, enjoy! 

Spoilers- Everything up to "The Two Bartletts". 

Rating- PG   
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"Josh, I'm going now." Donna said, sticking her head in the doorway. 

"Okay." Josh told her. "Have a good night." 

It was only five o'clock and normally Josh would have complained and made Donna stay until nine or ten, but the truth was he was about to leave the office himself. 

Yet when he finished what he was doing, he made no move to get up. 

Instead he sat there, thinking for a moment. 

It was Valentine's Day. Not his favourite day of the year, by any means, but he had never realized until that moment how much the ritual he and Donna had created meant to him. 

It had started their first year in the White House and since then the two of them had always spent Valentine's Day together, at one of their apartment's, eating Chinese food and watching movies. 

It was tradition. 

But this year, things were different. 

He was very aware of that. 

For the first time in four years, both he and Donna had plans. 

In fact, there had been no question about them continuing their yearly ritual. Neither of them had even brought it up. 

Why would they, after all, they were both seeing someone. 

Josh sighed, speaking of, he had better go if he was going to be on time for his date with Amy. 

As he left, he passed Donna's desk. And though, she had taken them home with her, he was reminded of the flowers that had sat there earlier. 

Two bouquets. 

One a bouquet of of a dozen flowers, which were a mix of pink tulips, pink and white carnations, as well as lilies. The bouquet that Josh sent every year. 

Donna always rolled her eyes and said that at least he remembered to send her flowers in February, even if they were for the wrong occasion on the wrong date. That always led to banter. 

Josh sighed. He missed the banter... 

After a moment, he returned his thoughts to their previous subject. The flowers on Donna's desk. 

Along with the flowers he had sent her, was a bouquet of beautiful pink roses and baby's breath. 

Josh had seen both bouquets and arrive and distinctly remembered her reaction to each. 

She smiled when his flowers showed up, set them on her desk, and resumed working. 

Yet, when the other bouquet arrived, her entire face lit up, she carefully arranged them on her desk and then called the other assistants to come look. It was a few minutes after that before she got back to work and after that, she had spent the rest of the day with a dreamy smile on her face. 

Josh didn't have to guess to hard to know why. 

After all he had gotten a call from Amy thanking him for the roses he had sent him, her voice soft and content, telling him that that night would be one of the good night's. He hadn't screwed up for once, he had actually gotten things right. 

He'd be willing to bet that she when she had gotten them she had worn a look similar to the one Donna wore for the second bouquet. 

Josh sighed as he got in his car and drove home. 

It just proved that things had changed and it kind of sucked. 

He hated to admit it, but he didn't want someone else to send Donna flowers. That was his job. 

More than that, he wanted to be the one to cause her face to light up like that. He wanted to be the one she was with tonight and not as a friend. 

He wanted to see her dressed up in some beautiful gown that she was going to return tomorrow, wanted to take her out to an expensive restaurant, and then take her home and see what happened there. 

But, he reminded himself, that was impossible. 

Donna was just his assistant and his friend. 

Amy was his girlfriend. She was the one he would be with tonight and he knew he should be looking forward to. 

Yet, as much as he hated himself for it, he found himself envying Calley, because the other man was the one who was going to be with Donna. 

Josh changed quickly and was soon ready to go, as he got back in his car and drove to Amy's, he tried to take his mind off Donna and the flowers. 

But he couldn't. He couldn't get that smile out of his mind. 

That smile, that look that had been for Cliff Calley and not for him. Never for him. 

That thought kept playing over and over in his mind as he pulled up at Amy's. He walked up and knocked on her door. 

She answered with a smile, wearing a spectacular black dress. She leaned over and kissed him briefly, before they headed to his car. 

She really looked fantastic and she was smiling at him... 

But... 

Even as she leaned over to kiss him once more after they got in the car, he still couldn't help but think that he would rather be home watching a sappy movie with Donna. 

The End 


End file.
